Before the Dark
by Katzztar
Summary: Once upon a time, the Kuwabara family knew peace, when the family was alive and happy. The sisters were carefree and loved life. This is the time before the Dark came.


**Title: ** **The Dolls**

**Author:** Katzztar

**Summary:** Once upon a time, the Kuwabara family knew peace, when the family was alive and happy. The sisters were carefree and loved life. This is the time before the Dark came.

**Rating:** PG  
**Feedback:** desired. This is all you really need to say here!  
**Characters **Maternal Grandfather - Adam Holmes

Mother- Amanda

Father- Shoda

The daughters (in accordance of age)

Jun -- 8 yrs. old

Shizuru -- 4 yrs. old

Yoshiko -- 2 1/2 yrs. old

Misao -- not yet born (mom is 7 mo pregnant in story)

**Disclaimer:** This is where you state that you do not own or making any money off of this story. Stuff like that. Oh I don't own Shizuru Kuwabara. I do own all other characters that appear in this ficlet.

_**The Dolls**_

It was a peaceful fall morning in the English country-side. The sun started to rise over the horizon, calling for nature to stir for the day. In the ancient oak grove, robins start to sing that a new day has arrived. While the early birds began to stir, nearly everyone else would prefer to wait a few more hours to crawl out of bed. However, that was not a choice at the manor of Adam Holmes.

The peace ended when the entire household awoke to Jun's wail of outrage. "Mom!! Tell Shizuru to give me Akiko-chan back!"

"I didn't get your stoopid dolly!" Shizuru's screaming made certain that her parents wouldn't fall back to sleep.

"You baka! It's stupid not stoopid! Momma's told you to speak right!" Although neither parent has reached the girls yet much less crawled out of bed, they could still picture the two oldest sisters in a face off. Far too often did mornings such as this one have occurred.

Which means that the response should coming in ... 3... 2...1. "MOM! Jun called me stupid!"

"I did not, you tattle tale! I called you a baka!"

"It's the same thing you big dummy!"

"No it's not!"

"Yes it is!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

As the girls rose their voice, the clamor was joined by the cries of two year old Yoshiko, who was awaken by her older sisters.

"Quiet!"

At the sound of her father's bellow, Amanda tossed the covers off and bolted out of bed as fast as she could. When she saw her husband trying to hold back a laugh, she calmed down. "Not a word. I know full well that your father just has to raise his voice to make you stand at attention."

Deciding to ignore his wife's not so subtle hint, Shoda went on to tease her. "I take it you had a habit of sleeping in as a girl? Was it your daddy's bellows that was your wakeup call?"

Meanwhile down in the hallway that housed the three sisters, the two arguing shared a look of dread before turning to the one who yelled at them to be quiet. It is startling enough to hear a grown man holler that while you are arguing with you sister, but to realize it was your grandfather's voice is another thing all together. This is the man that yelled and grounded their _mother_ when she was young. He knows what it's like to be a parent. Worse of all, he has already heard all the excuses that children use. There is usually no way to win against a grandfather.

Adam took a deep breath as he thanked God that Amanda was an only child. He would have gone insane if he had to go through this wakeup call throughout her childhood. Amanda was a handful when she was a child. Adam often jokes the manor barely survived her misadventures. Taking a second deep breath to calm down, Adam glanced down his nose at his granddaughters while keeping his head still. It was the look every kid hates and fears; the authority figure looking down his nose at you look that said 'I've had enough of this'.

"Jun, Shizuru…" he paused for the effect it would create in the children. As bad as the looking down the nose is, the calm voice that pauses after saying the child's name is worse. It meant that the authority figure in question has calmed himself enough to think of a punishment for the hapless child. "…what you been told about yelling in the house?"

The girls share a look, as if to say "you say it" to the other.

Adam raised one eyebrow at their silence. "Well?" Their grandfather interrupted their staring contest.

"Not to do it," Mumbled Shizuru as she glowered at her older sister.

"Use the inside voice when we're inside the house, outside voice is for playing outside." Jun added, she knew full well what her granddad wanted to hear.

"But we're not playing, Grandpa." Shizuru's voice wavered with uncertainty. Unlike Jun, Shizuru didn't know how to act around this English grandparent. She's only visited him four times that she knew of. Jun is four years older and had time to know him better. "All I did is say I didn't take her stoopid dolly. I said it was the dolly that's stupid, not her! It's not even alive. But she called me stupid."

"I did not!" Jun stomped her foot down in frustration. She was already upset that her favorite doll that her daddy bought her, Akiko-chan, was missing when she woke up. She had the doll for long as she could remember. But her daddy told her how she got it. Jun was four and was upset that she had to share her parents with her newborn sister, Shizuru, so Shoda gave her a beautiful doll to have as her very own. When Yoshiko was born, Shizuru got her own doll and Jun got a sakura pattern kimono for her doll. Shizuru didn't take good care of Kimi-chan so the doll now missing an arm and it's hair has been cut off. There was no way that Jun would let her sisters play with Akiko-chan.

Adam wasn't impressed with the two would-be drama queens. Seriously, why is this the fourth time in ten days he was woke up to their squabbles? This is one aspect of parenthood he is glad to have missed by having one child. "You are sisters, act like it. It's not lady-like to wake people up by screeching like a banshee. It's not lady-like to call your sister names."

"Hear that, Jun?" Shizuru grinned as the older slapped herself on the forehead.

"Shizuru!" Adam allowed his voice to sound harsh as he scolded the girl. "I am talk to both of you. I've had it with this petty hollering you two have been doing since you've arrived. Jun, you will stop calling_ both_ of your sisters stupid, baka and idiots. I may be an old Englishman but I have learned Japanese since your parents got married. I know what baka means, so don't even try that line. It doesn't matter what language you use, do not call your sisters bad names. Now for your punishment…"

"You can't do that, you're not our daddy!" Shizuru cried out, her eyes wide with fear.

"I'm worse, I'm your grandfather." Adam grinned at the corny comeback. "I may not have raised a pack of children, but I did have a brother. I remember the worse punishment my father would give for us arguing."

Amanda peeked around the corner after several minutes of silence. Shoda covered her mouth before her giggling would get them caught, although he was grinning as well. They both would have to remember that technique to deal with arguing siblings in the future.

Adam sat there reading a book as he glanced up every once in while at the clock. It was the longest fifteen minutes either girl had endured, both were frowning and looked away from the other. In the middle of the room, Jun and Shizuru stood hugging each other.

That's when Yoshiko waddled in. To Jun's horror, the toddler had Akiko-chan in her arms. Worse was she was using the doll's hand as a chew toy.

Fini

AN the idea of this ficlet first came to me when Kuwa-Chan pointed out that Jun, Misao and Yoshiko were a bit bland in personality. I realized that while giving mom & dad entries in the journal helped give them personalities, but I could not do the same with the three sisters I created for Shizuru and Kuwabara. Therefore, I decided to make this story in an attempt to give the girls personalities. This will be in regular story form, no journals are in this. I was going to call it Happy Days -- but that sounds too corny for my taste! So I went with the current title.

The punishment of having to hug the one you've argued with was my uncle's favorite to use when my cousin and I would fight. Yes, we stood in middle of the room where anyone can come and go, seeing us hugging as we glared daggers at each other. Tana is the middle of 5 kids , with 4 siblings and their friends, plenty of potential people could see us and make jokes later. Tana and I would be very careful about yelling at each other for days after that. LOL

As for the doll My older sister had two 12 inch dolls that were very pretty with long curly hair. When I was 7-8, maybe 9, I got my hands on one and used it to try to learn how to cut hair. Yes My sister was horrified. Most of her major stuff was then kept in our mom's room … where I was forbidden to touch her stuff.

That memory is the muse I used for the fight scene between the two.


End file.
